Mediagazer: Netflix Aiming for Autumn Launch in France, Says Orange CEO (Andrew Wallenstein/Variety)

2:15 PM ET, March 11, 2014

Top News:

Tony Haile / TIME:

Chartbeat CEO: “We confuse what people have clicked on for what they've read.” — What You Think You Know About the Web Is Wrong — If you're an average reader, I've got your attention for 15 seconds, so here goes: We are getting a lot wrong about the web these days.

Discussion: @emilysteel, @hiddenbrain, @adamostrow, @magnus_, @clarkgilbert, @moore, BuzzMachine, @neilvoss and @ryanchittum

Peter Kafka / Re/code:
No One's Looking at Your Native Ads, Either

Discussion: @themediaisdying and @lererventures

Eriq Gardner / Hollywood Reporter:

Gawker Demands Dismissal of Quentin Tarantino Lawsuit — The news site says that reading a screenplay is not a copyright infringing act. — Gawker is asking a California federal judge to reject a lawsuit filed by Quentin Tarantino over a leak of the director's unproduced script Hateful Eight.

Discussion: Guardian, Variety, FishbowlNY, Home on Entertainment, The Wrap and Deadline.com

Caroline O'Donovan / Nieman Journalism Lab:

Upworthy partners with ProPublica and advocacy media groups on original content — When Upworthy raised an additional $8 million in September of last year, they wrote a blog post thanking their readers and making them a promise. The new funds, they wrote, will “help us branch out into new editorial areas.

Discussion: @gabrielarana, Upworthy Insider and @niemanlab

Peter Kafka / Re/code:

Disney Ponders the Biggest Big Media YouTube Bet Yet: Buying Maker Studios — Disney has been talking to Maker Studios about an acquisition that would value the YouTube network at $500 million or more, according to people familiar with the negotiations. — A deal isn't guaranteed.

Discussion: Variety

Katharine Houreld / Reuters:

Swedish journalist shot dead in central Kabul — (Reuters) - A gunman shot dead a Swedish journalist outside a restaurant in a brazen attack in one Kabul's most heavily guarded districts on Tuesday, police and embassy sources said, underscoring growing insecurity threatening next month's elections.

Discussion: Poynter, Washington Post, New York Times, Guardian, NPR and BBC

Dan Taylor / BBC:

Introducing the new BBC iPlayer — Hello, I'm Dan Taylor, Head of BBC iPlayer and today I'm delighted to share how we are evolving BBC iPlayer for the multiscreen world, starting today with the rollout of a new version for computers, tablets, mobiles and connected TVs.

Discussion: The Next Web, @graham_matthews, @neilbramah, @rwd, Engadget, TechCrunch, Pocket-lint, @jemstone, Silicon Republic and NetNewsCheck Latest

John McDermott / Digiday:

Twitter testing ‘click-to-call’ button which allows mobile users to call advertisers directly — Twitter's direct response pitch: a new ‘click-to-call’ button — As part of its continued effort to evolve and broaden its advertising capabilities, Twitter is now touting itself …

Discussion: @digiday, Street Fight and SocialTimes

Erik Wemple:

John Cook bolts Gawker for the Intercept — John Cook had fun as editor in chief of Gawker. For instance: When he wanted to commandeer a video of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford smoking crack, he fired up a “Crackstarter” campaign that raised $200,000 for the cause. Publicity followed.

Matthew Shaer / New York Magazine:
Raging Against Hacks With Muckraker Turned Magazine-Maker Matt Taibbi

Discussion: @nymag, @kierafeldman, @sarahljaffe, The Corsair and The Raw Story

Andrew Beaujon / Poynter:

Men's Journal contributing editor Matthew Power dies on assignment in Uganda — Matthew Power dies in Uganda — Matthew Power has died while reporting in Uganda, Outside reports on its Facebook page: — Post by Outside Magazine. — Power was a contributing editor to Harper's Magazine …

Discussion: FishbowlNY, Associated Press, New York Magazine, @williams_paige, @sethmnookin, @jeffsharlet, @andrewburton and Longform

Joan E. Solsman / CNET:

CBS chief says network could go all-Internet if Aereo wins — CBS Chief Executive Leslie Moonves said Tuesday that his company's namesake broadcast network could go “over the top,” or be delivered via the Internet, if Aereo's model of streaming over-the-air programming is ruled legal.

Discussion: Variety and TVSpy

Andrew Wallenstein / Variety:

Netflix Aiming for Autumn Launch in France, Says Orange CEO — Broadband operator approached about distribution deal — PARIS- Stephane Richard, the CEO of Orange, France's leading broadband operator, confirmed in an interview with a Gallic radio last week that Orange had been approached …

Discussion: Gigaom

Lisa O'Carroll / Guardian:

Rebekah Brooks: no one told me about lead on Milly Dowler's whereabouts — Ex-NoW editor tells phone-hacking trial that if she knew about a call suggesting schoolgirl was alive, it would have been big news — No one at the News of the World informed their editor, Rebekah Brooks …

Discussion: Hacked Off and Guardian

Andrew Beaujon / Poynter:

Jimmy Kimmel: It's ‘easy’ to fool the media — In an interview from Austin, Texas, Peter Kafka asked Jimmy Kimmel about his hoax videos, like the Sochi wolf and the twerking disaster video. — “I've heard people suggest that these will get harder for you to do, because people will catch on.

Discussion: Re/code and @poynter

Stuart Dredge / Guardian:

Strictly algorithm: how news finds people in the Facebook and Twitter age — Many people assume important news will find them online, but don't understand the algorithms defining how — From Spotify and Netflix recommendations to Facebook's news feed or Google's search results …

Discussion: @jcstearns, @jason_kint, @sonaliranade and Capital New York

Joe Pompeo / Capital New York:

News Corp. taking cautious approach to acquisitions and investments — Thomson says News Corp. will take it slow — News Corp. made waves in December when it bought the video startup Storyful for $25 million. — But the company is taking a slow, cautious approach to acquisitions, chief executive Robert Thomson said yesterday.

Discussion: @raju

Lance Whitney / CNET:

iTunes Radio now third most popular streaming music service — iTunes Radio is only six months old but it's already snagged third place among people in the US who listen to streaming music services, at least based on a recent survey. — Polling more than 2,000 people in the US …

Discussion: Fortune, AppleInsider and App Advice

Richard Lawler / Engadget:

Netflix reportedly reaches another Comcast-style agreement, but with a Norwegian ISP — Netflix's oddly public peering agreement to connect directly with Comcast has, as many expected, been followed closely by a similar deal. What may surprise some is that this arrangement is with Norway's Telenor …

Discussion: Telecompaper and Electronista